Our Healthy Blog
Monday, 09 January 2012 00:00
Week One (w/c 2 Jan 2012)
Health check carried out on 2nd January 2012 to assess currently health levels - Not happy with overall results but not surprised really after doing nothing for several months. Imagine how bad it could get if I carried on like this for 4 years! Body weight gone up more than I thought (around 6kg) and body fat up to 20.7% which is the highest it's ever been!
Went out for my first run which lasted around 30 minutes. Due to my awful lung function I had to stop a couple of times but this is normal for me when I'm not regularly active. The joys of being asthmatic! Did about 15 minutes of core work to strengthen my lower back and stomach afterwards and slept very well that night! Next day felt ok, went for long walk to help recovery. Two days after the aches started to shine through..... not nice.
Another 30 minute run with similar results having a couple of breaks. Did small amount of interval training as part of this (where exercise intensity varies up and down) which is a good way to get back to normal fitness levels! Diet this week has been relatively good, had to 'finish off' some of the Xmas food which hasn't helped but now that's gone, no excuses anymore!
Before I Start – How do I feel?
I feel quite tired and my energy levels which are normally excellent, dwindle quickly. I have sort of got used to (not quite, but nearly addicted to) eating rubbish food so am having to wean myself off these. Lower back aches more than usual and get out of breath really quickly (this will be mainly due to asthma but also to physical condition).
I'm 'semi' motivated to start training and start to see and feel the difference. I feel like I haven't lost much fitness but am sure my thinking will change dramatically when I start! This is not going to be as easy as I thought it would be, and I now know how 'lazy people' feel and can easily get trapped into a life of doing nothing....
The theory of weight management is really simple (however complicated some 'experts' make it sound!). It's a balance of input and output of energy. If you eat more than you burn you are likely to increase body weight, if you burn more than you eat then it is likely you will lose weight.
Another note on nutrition/eating – everything I will be doing is not going to be a 'diet' for a period of time, but a lifestyle change that will become the norm in the future. It's fine eating sugary/sweet foods in moderation as long as you balance this with healthy options and a good level of activity!
Health Screening Results
Please see in the table below my statistics from my Health Screening assessments and my targets for March 2012.
| Highest Level of Health - November 2006 | Current Health Status (as at 1st January 2012) | GOAL by 31 March 2012 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Blood Pressure | 121/78 | 131/85 | 120/80 |
| Resting Heart Rate | 45bpm | 61bpm | 55bpm |
| Body Weight | 80kg | 89kg | 83kg |
| Body Fat % | 10% | 20.7% | 15% |
| Hydration % | 61% | 51% | 55% |
| Peak Flow | 500 | 440 | 480 |
| FER Ratio % | 73% | 70% | 73% |
| Cardiovascular Health | 58 | 49 | 53 |
| Total Cholesterol | 3,9 | 4.1 | 4.0 |
Wayne's Challenge
His objective is to reduce body weight to 83kg and body fat to 15%. He currently works about 60-70 hours per week, travelling a lot with the job and his home life is flat out as he has two young boys (currently two and a half, and seven months) plus a demanding wife!!
He will be dedicating 2-3 hours a week, which isn't ideal but is realistic based on his other commitments. A lot of the activity he'll be doing will be without the need for going to a gym which is really important to note as many people assume going to the gym is the only way forward to lose weight!
From a dietary perspective he is aiming to restrict his diet to around 2000-2200 calories per day, although this may vary depending on the intensity of training as it's essential to ensure there is sufficient energy available for the forthcoming activity.
Wayne's Background/Health History
Wayne is 39 years old and has spent most of his life in health, fitness and professional sport so naturally is quite fit but over the last 5 years his activity levels have reduced with the responsibility of running Healthy Performance and a very busy home life. As part of this project he decided to stop all activity in August 2011 and has eaten badly (too much sugar/fat etc) to show the impact this has, and also how easy it can be to improve health, particularly when you are very busy. To date he has added over a stone in weight during just 4 months!
A very brief overview of his health generally; he suffers quite badly from asthma and if he isn't regularly active this starts to have an impact (quite quickly) on his aerobic health. He hasn't been very lucky with sports injuries, having had two knee operations, dislocating both shoulders (not at the same time!), tearing ligaments and a cracking three vertebrae in his back - all from playing football. On a more positive note, he's played football at a good level and as part of a previous role advised professional footballers and athletes on maximising performance so knows how to get active and fit in the best, safest and quickest way! There is also a family history of cholesterol and blood pressure.
His fitness level peaked in 2006 when working at Derby County FC as their Head of Sport Science, when he was training 3-4 hours per day, had an excellent diet and had access to all recovery methods to aid improvements. His current health status is highlighted below with comparisons to when he was at his 'fighting weight' (well known fitness term for being at your fittest!) and his goal by the end of March 2012.
Click here for Week 2 of Wayne's Training Blog.
Disclaimer: OK, we shouldn't really need to put this, but our legal eagles have advised us to! Please don't copy any of the activities within this training log. Wayne has been assessed before he starts the programme to ensure it is safe to start exercising and will be using some quite challenging (yet time saving!) ways to improve his fitness level over the three months. We always strongly advise that you seek advice from a health professional before starting a health/fitness programme.